Dairy cares in Leschenault

Leschenault catchment dairy farmer Mason Norton (left) and Dan Parnell from Western Dairy (right) observe where targeted application of effluent has improved pastures.

Dairy farmers in the Leschenault catchment are striving for best practice effluent management by investing in effluent systems, which are keeping nutrients on farm and out of waterways.

Nine dairy farms in the catchment have joined 12 other farms in the South West to take advantage of funding incentives through the State Government-funded DairyCare project over the past four years.

DairyCare, a partnership between the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and peak dairy industry group Western Dairy, supported farmers to keep nutrients on farms and out of waterways through technical advice and grants.

Dairy effluent entering waterways contains high levels of nutrients, sediment and pathogens which can cause significant problems for aquatic ecosystems such as eutrophication, algal blooms and fish kill events.

DWER DairyCare coordinator Bree Brown said working with industry and farmers to offer practical solutions had been critical to the success of the DairyCare project which has improved effluent management in the Leschenault Catchment.  

“Farmers worked with Western Dairy to develop a system design and were happy to invest in solutions that would work for them,” Ms Brown said.  

Ms Brown said dairy farmers sought out system designs that met the standards of the industry’s Code of Practice for Dairy Farm Effluent Management WA, which offer adaptable environmental solutions to manage effluent.

“With limited time and labour shortages faced by dairy farmers, they wanted system designs that were simple, worked for their farm, and allowed them to meet the high standards for effluent management in WA.”

Benger dairy farmer, Michael Giumelli, is one farmer who has co-invested in new effluent solids storage, which replaces stacks of solids stored in paddocks that are exposed to stormwater run-off.

Mr Giumelli said the bunker had made a big difference to how his farm managed solids. 

“Now we can capture the solids and spread them onto paddocks easily and we don’t lose nutrients from rainfall events or have untidy piles of manure. The concrete was expensive, but the funding gave us the motivation to invest in something that will work well for decades to come,” he said.

Fellow Benger farmer, Todd Norton, upgraded his system using bentonite clay to line a new effluent storage pond. Liquid effluent is now pumped from the pond to 40 hectares of irrigated summer crops and pasture via centre pivot irrigation. 

Western Dairy extension officer Dan Parnell said the efforts of all 21 farms demonstrated that the industry was committed to adopting high standards of effluent management that protect water quality in our estuaries.

“It’s great for the environment and our industry that so many dairy farmers are working towards meeting high standards for effluent management in WA and supporting the Code of Practice,” Mr Parnell said.

The DairyCare project was funded by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions under the Regional Estuaries Initiative. A new project, Dairy for Healthy Estuaries, is building on the DairyCare legacy by continuing to provide technical support to farmers.

Dairy farmers in the Leschenault catchment are striving for best practice effluent management by investing in effluent systems, which are keeping nutrients on farm and out of waterways.

Nine dairy farms in the catchment have joined 12 other farms in the South West to take advantage of funding incentives through the State Government-funded DairyCare project over the past four years.

DairyCare, a partnership between the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and peak dairy industry group Western Dairy, supported farmers to keep nutrients on farms and out of waterways through technical advice and grants.

Dairy effluent entering waterways contains high levels of nutrients, sediment and pathogens which can cause significant problems for aquatic ecosystems such as eutrophication, algal blooms and fish kill events.

DWER DairyCare coordinator Bree Brown said working with industry and farmers to offer practical solutions had been critical to the success of the DairyCare project which has improved effluent management in the Leschenault Catchment.  

“Farmers worked with Western Dairy to develop a system design and were happy to invest in solutions that would work for them,” Ms Brown said.  

Ms Brown said dairy farmers sought out system designs that met the standards of the industry’s Code of Practice for Dairy Farm Effluent Management WA, which offer adaptable environmental solutions to manage effluent.

“With limited time and labour shortages faced by dairy farmers, they wanted system designs that were simple, worked for their farm, and allowed them to meet the high standards for effluent management in WA.”

Benger dairy farmer, Michael Giumelli, is one farmer who has co-invested in new effluent solids storage, which replaces stacks of solids stored in paddocks that are exposed to stormwater run-off.

Mr Giumelli said the bunker had made a big difference to how his farm managed solids. 

“Now we can capture the solids and spread them onto paddocks easily and we don’t lose nutrients from rainfall events or have untidy piles of manure. The concrete was expensive, but the funding gave us the motivation to invest in something that will work well for decades to come,” he said.

Fellow Benger farmer, Todd Norton, upgraded his system using bentonite clay to line a new effluent storage pond. Liquid effluent is now pumped from the pond to 40 hectares of irrigated summer crops and pasture via centre pivot irrigation. 

Western Dairy extension officer Dan Parnell said the efforts of all 21 farms demonstrated that the industry was committed to adopting high standards of effluent management that protect water quality in our estuaries.

“It’s great for the environment and our industry that so many dairy farmers are working towards meeting high standards for effluent management in WA and supporting the Code of Practice,” Mr Parnell said.

The DairyCare project was funded by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions under the Regional Estuaries Initiative. A new project, Dairy for Healthy Estuaries, is building on the DairyCare legacy by continuing to provide technical support to farmers.